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Run Ronnie Run (2002)
Featuring enough cameos to choke a mere mortal, Run Ronnie Run is a
spinoff of the critically acclaimed Mr. Show with Bob and David.
Bob Odenkirk and David Cross play TV producer Terry Twillstein and Ronnie
Dobbs (respectively).
Ronnie Dobbs, who we first saw in Season 1 of Mr. Show, and then again in
Season 3, has his story told once again by Terry Twillstein, failed television
marketer. After seeing footage of Ronnie's many entertaining arrests,
Twillstein seeks out Dobbs in order to market him to the world in his own show,
where he is arrested all over the country--and in doing so, takes him away from
his Southern roots, his on-again, off-again wife, and the power-mad
sheriff.
But Dobbs is ruined by fame, and eventually becomes a narcissistic Hollywood
type who can't get arrested to save his life, until Twillstein reminds him
where he came from. The sheriff (now governor) arrests Dobbs upon his
return to the South, and sentences him to death. After some zaniness,
including a fat pre-teen doing Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon-esque
wire work against one of the winners of Survivor, Ronnie is vindicated
and finally settles down with his wife.
Okay. I have to admit that I love this movie, but the ending is really
quite weak. There are some awesome moments, including the Three Times One
Minus One music video, Jack Black's cameo, and the first scene where
Twillstein tries to convince Dobbs to come to Hollywood, but the ending felt
like it was missing something. If you're a fan of Mr. Show, this is a
must-see. It's not quite at the same level, but it's still very, very
good.
The movie was repeatedly delayed and never promoted by its distributor, New
Line Cinemas. Despite the poor editing (there are some excellent
cut-scenes on the DVD that you need to see to totally understand the plot) and
lack of promotion, Run Ronnie Run is quickly becoming an underground
hit.
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